Relaxed, personal weddings at Lower Marsh Farm

A wedding doesn’t need a huge guest list to be unforgettable.

At Lower Marsh Farm, we love small and intimate weddings – celebrations where you have time to enjoy the people you’ve invited, linger over dinner, explore the farm for photographs and actually experience your wedding day rather than watching it rush past.

Tucked away in the Tamar Valley on the Cornish bank of the River Tamar, the farm is surrounded by over 40 acres of countryside, woodland, orchard and nature reserve. It’s wonderfully private, relaxed and yours to make your own.

For smaller weddings, we offer two simple options:

• intimate celebrations for up to 20 guests without the need for a marquee,
• or weddings for up to 50 guests with a tipi providing a beautiful covered space and all-important Cornish-weather back-up.

Intimate Weddings for up to 20 Guests

No marquee needed

If you’re planning a wedding with your closest family and friends, up to 20 guests is something of a sweet spot at Lower Marsh Farm.

You can make use of the farm’s existing spaces without needing to bring in a marquee or tipi, keeping your wedding wonderfully simple and intimate.

Your ceremony could take place in one of our licensed settings around the farm, followed by drinks and photographs before gathering everyone together for your wedding meal (with both inside or outside options).

And because our accommodation can sleep around 20 people, there’s the lovely possibility that almost your entire wedding party can stay here with you.

Rather than everyone disappearing at the end of the evening, your wedding becomes a few days away together.

Arrive and settle in. Have supper together the night before. Wake up on the farm on your wedding morning. Get married. Celebrate. Then meet again for breakfast the following day.

It creates a wonderfully relaxed, house-party feel.

Where could we get married?

Small weddings give you plenty of choice.

Depending on the time of year and the sort of wedding you’re imagining, your ceremony could take place poolside, in one of the courtyards, beside the river, amongst the trees or in our characterful Tap Room.

Alternatively, beautiful Landulph Church is only around 200 metres from the end of our drive, so you can marry in church and wander back to the farm afterwards to celebrate.

Your whole wedding doesn’t have to happen in one place either.

You might marry in the Tap Room, have Champagne beside the pool, disappear down to the River Tamar for photographs and then gather everyone together for dinner in the courtyard.

That’s one of the things we love about smaller weddings here – the farm becomes part of your day.

Small Weddings for up to 50 Guests

Celebrate in a tipi in the courtyard or orchard

If you’d like to invite a few more people while keeping the relaxed feel of a small wedding, our second option is designed for celebrations of up to 50 guests.

For these weddings, a tipi provides your covered reception space and wet-weather back-up.

Depending on the style of wedding you’d like, the tipi can be positioned in one of two very different settings.

A courtyard tipi wedding

Place the tipi within our old stone courtyard and it becomes part of the heart of the farm.

The stone buildings create a wonderfully atmospheric backdrop while the tipi gives you a covered space for dining and celebrating if the weather turns.

On a beautiful day, the sides can be opened so your celebration spills naturally out into the courtyard.

Add long tables, flowers and greenery, festoon lights and candles as evening arrives and it becomes a wonderfully relaxed setting for dinner and dancing.

For some inspiration, discover how your wedding day could flow around the courtyards.

An orchard tipi wedding

For a more rural feel, position your Tipi in the orchard, surrounded by the landscape of the farm. This location feels incredibly private and secluded, bordering woodland and in amongst the fruit trees.

It gives you the feeling of an outdoor countryside wedding while still having the reassurance of a proper covered space if the Cornish weather doesn’t cooperate.

On a warm summer day, open the tipi to the orchard and countryside. In the evening, add fairy lights, candles and music and settle in for the celebrations.

And if the sun shines…

The tipi doesn’t mean your wedding has to happen inside.

Quite the opposite.

Think of it as your insurance policy against the weather, leaving you free to plan the outdoor wedding you really want.

Your ceremony might be outside, followed by drinks beside the pool or in the courtyard. Guests can explore the gardens while you head down to the river for photographs, before everyone gathers at the tipi for your wedding breakfast.

If the weather is glorious, open it up and enjoy the surroundings.

If the heavens open, you already have somewhere beautiful to retreat to.

No frantic Plan B required.

Stay together

Whichever option you choose, one of the things that makes a small wedding at Lower Marsh Farm particularly special is being able to stay here.

Our accommodation across the farm can sleep around 20 people, allowing your closest friends and family to make a few days of the celebrations with you.

With cottages and barns, private gardens, hot tubs and plenty of space to explore, there’s time to relax together before and after the wedding rather than squeezing everything into a few hours.

And because you’re already here, there’s no coach to catch or hotel to get back to when the celebrations finish.

Food and drink your way

Small weddings open up all sorts of possibilities for food.

You might choose an elegant wedding breakfast, long-table dining, a relaxed sharing feast, a private chef or something much less traditional.

We don’t tie you to an in-house caterer. You’re welcome to choose your own, or we can introduce you to trusted local suppliers.

We also don’t charge corkage, so you can choose the wines, Champagne and other drinks you’d really like to serve.

Surrounded by nature

Lower Marsh Farm isn’t simply a wedding venue with a nice view.

The landscape is a big part of what makes weddings here special.

Beyond the courtyards and gardens you’ll find woodland, meadows, orchard and our salt marsh nature reserve, with private frontage onto the River Tamar.

That gives you an extraordinary variety of places for photographs without spending your wedding day travelling between locations.

You can disappear into the woods, walk through the orchard, head down to our little shingle beach or simply find a quiet corner together for ten minutes away from everyone else.

Naturally more sustainable

Small weddings can also make it easier to celebrate more sustainably.

At Lower Marsh Farm we manage the land with wildlife and biodiversity in mind, use renewable energy and try to work with local suppliers wherever possible.

We can provide naturally dried flower petals from the farm for confetti, while seasonal flowers, locally sourced food and thoughtful decorations can all help reduce the impact of your celebration.

And with your ceremony, reception and accommodation all in one place, there’s far less travelling between different venues.

Discover more about sustainable weddings at Lower Marsh Farm

Bringing your dog?

Absolutely.

Lower Marsh Farm is dog friendly, so there’s no reason your four-legged family member has to miss the wedding.

They can join you for your ceremony and photographs, and if you’d like someone else to take responsibility for walks, feeding and keeping them entertained at the appropriate moments, we can help arrange a dog chaperone too.

Which small wedding is right for you?

Up to 20 guests
An intimate celebration using the existing spaces around the farm, with no marquee required. It’s ideal if you’d like to keep everything beautifully simple and have many or all of your guests staying here with you.

Up to 50 guests
A slightly bigger celebration while retaining the relaxed feel of an intimate wedding, with a tipi in the courtyard or orchard providing your reception space and wet-weather back-up.

Either way, you have the freedom to make the day your own.

Small & Intimate Wedding FAQs

How many guests can we invite?

These wedding options are designed around two sizes: intimate weddings for up to 20 guests without a marquee, and small weddings for up to 50 guests with a tipi in the courtyard or orchard.

If your numbers are likely to be higher, talk to us about our other wedding options.

Do we need a marquee for 20 guests?

No. For a wedding of up to 20 people, you can use the existing spaces at Lower Marsh Farm without needing to hire a marquee or tipi.

Why do we need a tipi for 20–50 guests?

Once your guest list gets larger, we need to make sure you have a comfortable covered space in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.

A tipi gives you that reassurance while still allowing your wedding to feel connected to the farm and countryside.

Where can the tipi go?

For these weddings, we envisage either the courtyard or the orchard.

The courtyard gives you the atmosphere of the old stone farm buildings and allows the celebration to flow between the tipi and courtyard.

The orchard has a more secluded, rural feel and works beautifully for a countryside wedding.

Does everything have to take place in the tipi?

Not at all.

The tipi is there to give you a wonderful covered space for your wedding breakfast and celebrations and, importantly, a wet-weather option.

If it’s a beautiful day, we’d expect you to make the most of the rest of the farm too.

Can we have an outdoor ceremony?

Yes. We have several possibilities for outdoor ceremonies and will talk through the different options with you when you visit.

Can we marry at Landulph Church instead?

Landulph Church offers a picturesque setting for your wedding. This historic church has a truly tranquil atmosphere, creating a truly memorable backdrop for your special day. The church features beautiful stained glass and a traditional interior, perfect for a classic wedding ceremony. The church is at the end of our drive (a picturesque 200 metres walk from us). If you do not have a ‘qualifying connection’ to the parish, then initially you need to contact the church to find out what they will require – this normally involves attending a number of services and staying in the Parish for a minimum number of nights prior to your wedding.

Can guests stay?

Yes. We can accommodate around 20 people across the farm, depending on the arrangement you choose.

Can we choose our own caterer?

Yes. We don’t have an obligatory in-house wedding caterer. You’re free to choose your own, or we can recommend suppliers.

Do you charge corkage?

No.

Can we have live music?

Yes, subject to the arrangements agreed for your wedding and our usual venue requirements. We can talk through music and entertainment with you as part of the planning.

Come and see what your wedding could look like

Small weddings are wonderfully personal, and we’d much rather show you the possibilities than try to squeeze your ideas into a standard package.

Come and wander around the farm with us. We’ll show you the ceremony locations, courtyards, orchard and accommodation and talk through how your day could flow.

Whether you’re imagining dinner for 12 with your closest family, a weekend away with 20 of your favourite people or a tipi celebration for 50, we’d love to hear what you have in mind.